Memorial '13: Is Matt Kuchar Now The U.S. Open Favorite?

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Because his record in the majors is poor, Matt Kuchar was a 25-1 shot for the upcoming U.S. Open at Merion.

But combine his well-established ability on classic courses, his steady play over the last three years and his love for USGA golf, doesn't his Memorial win over a tough Muirfield Village make him the obvious first choice heading into Merion?

From Doug Ferguson's AP story we learn this is Kuchar's first multi-win season and his biggest win outside of his Players title from last year.

Needing two putts from 20 feet to hold off a late charge from Kevin Chappell, Kuchar punctuated a remarkably steady final round by making the birdie putt for a 4-under 68 and a two-shot victory at Muirfield Village. He joined Tiger Woods as the only players with more than one win this year on the PGA Tour.

John Strege says Nick Faldo noted what this win means for Kuchar's upcoming U.S. Open chances.

The victory was his third in less than 13 months. He also won the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in February and the Players Championship in May of 2012 and is now firmly ensconced in the World Ranking top 10, with another strong field and elite tournament, the U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club, on deck for him.

"Maybe this is his next stepping stone," CBS' Nick Faldo said. "He's won some fantastic events. Maybe a major is next."

Steve DiMeglio also considered the U.S. Open angle and had this from Kuchar:

"Heading into Merion, I'll have a lot of confidence. It's a course I've not seen before, so I'll have to do some learning. But from what I understand you've got to drive it well, as you do in a U.S. Open, and I feel like I've been really driving the ball well. I'm looking forward to my chances there at Merion."

As for Tiger's lousy week, Bob Harig sums it up with quotes from Woods who graciously stopped for the assembled scribblers Sunday.

"Yeah, it happens," said Woods, who finished on the front nine while the leaders were playing the closing holes. "It happens to all of us. I'll go home next week and practice."

The PGA Tour highlights:

Merion: "It is a golf-themed Mardi Gras wrapped within one of the year’s biggest sporting events — all encircled by nine miles of chain-link fencing."

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It's still more than a week away, we have trophies to hand out at the Memorial and NCAA along with U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying on Monday, but Bill Pennington files a nice Sunday NY Times table-setter for the U.S. Open's return to Merion.

He touches mostly on the difficulty that is placing an open at such a small venue and the role Haverford College played (including an emergency tarp hanging to help the baseball field)

“The college is not a golfing community, so some people were taken aback at the size of what was coming,” said Dick Wynn, Haverford’s vice president for finance, who was involved in the negotiations with the U.S.G.A. “But we wanted to be good neighbors, and as everyone learned that Merion is like a golf museum to golfers, we wanted to help the event come here.”

The college received more than 100 free tickets to the Open, which have been useful for institutional fund-raising. Other tickets have been raffled off to the college community.

There is also a nice video accompanying the story:

Video: The Mood For Merion, 10th Hole Flyover

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Considering just how difficult the par-3 9th could play, there is always the slim possibility that the 303-yard par-4 10th plays statistically easier.

As the flyover narrator notes, the hole is driveable by the entire field but will require a strong right-to-left shaped shot and a stomach for risk to do so. It may be just as fun to see who lays up or comes up with the best strategy to play to this 40-yard deep green.

Dogs Eating Out Of $50 Mikasa Pasta Bowls And Other Golf Tournament Home Rental First World Problems

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Dan Geringer talks to a Main Line real estate broker named Sara Moyher about the travails of renting homes near Merion for U.S. Open week.

She also reveals the inflated rents that neighbors of Merion expect for their palatial estates, and her own experience from the Aronimink/AT&T National years. Thanks to reader Len for sending this in.

"I went out and bought new sheets and towels," Moyher told the Daily News. "I needed them anyway. Our renters had a dog, and the dog ate out of my $50 Mikasa pasta bowl. That's the worst thing that happened. We went to Sea Isle for the week, and it was great. We were happy as heck, man."

So Moyher, who spent thousands to develop her own website and has rented 15 of her 47 listings at $3,000 to $8,000 for the Open, was surprised at some homeowners' overblown expectations.

"Some people told me, 'The only way we'll rent our house is if we get 10 grand,' " Moyher said. "I told them, 'You won't take 8 grand? It's free money.' People have given up 8 grand like it's 20 bucks. Turn their noses up at 8 grand? I'm sorry, it just cracks me up."

Video: The Mood For Merion, 8th Hole Flyover

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With no room to lengthen, the 359-yard yard 8th remains a drive and pitch holes as it's been since the day of Jones. In fact an aerial depicting Bobby Jones' tee shots from the 1930 U.S. Amateur show him driving to fairway just in front of the green, a swale that is now rough based on this aerial posted by the USGA and presumably shot last year.

The video also notes that this hole is a candidate to be shortened to tempt the players into driving the green. It's hard to tell from the aerial how wide the throat is that Jones drove to, but with the hay-like native grass visible on both sides and a front bunker it's hard to see how someone would be tempted.

Tiger Plays Merion...

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Michael Bamberger reports on Tiger's Tuesday visit to rainy Merion where the three-time champion had the U.S. Open site to himself. He got a tour from member and one-time U.S. Amateur nemesis Buddy Marucci.

And there was this:

LaCava walked the course on Monday night and surely discovered what other players and caddies have found out about Merion, a par-70 that measures just under 7,000 yards: Only two or three holes demand driver off the tee. The rough is absolutely punishing, and there is no real graduated rough. If you miss a fairway, you're in deep, wet lush grass from which there are few options. As for the greens, they are as tricky as greens anywhere, much smaller than Augusta's but with wicked movement, even within six feet of the hole. The greens, the rough and the bunkering are the course's defense.

Video: The Mood For Merion, 7th Hole Flyover

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The 360 yard 7th doglegs left gently around the newly extended 4th tee and features a fairway pushed toward OB and meant to bring trees into play, hardly much to get excited about.

But boy, after looking at this flyover, the club could have a nice rough sod sale after this U.S Open. The fairway in 1930 aerials appears to be twice as wide as todays. What's changed? Oh right, the guys hit about a hundred yards longer!

1971 U.S. Open Re-broadcast Open Comment Thread

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Okay so I'm a little late to post this, but wondering what everyone's impressions were of the Golf Channel re-broadcast? I was watching on an SD tv in a hotel room, so it was hard to see much of the golf course. Or maybe it was all of the shade from trees that have since moved on?

Anyway, what a treat to watch both to see some greats in their prime and to see how much telecasts have evolved.

A few thoughts:

-What color is that for the anchor jackets worn by Byron Nelson and Chris Schenkel?!

-Lord Byron wasn't much on-camera, but he had strong insights once they got to the golf.

-The marshals were dressed like Dr. Beeper

-Several announcers brought the playoff on by mentioning the "P" word way too early and often in the telecast!

-Whoever was feeding Henry Longhurst info and cues could be heard almost as well as Longhurst! Was that a technical screw up or did he have his headset audio too high? Either way it was one of about 200 examples of how far golf on television has come.

-Frank Hannigan did a nice FBI G-man impersonation.

-Frank Gifford was not nearly as bad as I anticipated.

-Was Lee Trevino just standing in the gallery when he was interviewed prior to Nicklaus's 18th hole putt?

-Mr. Nicklaus was painfully slow on the greens.

-Jim Simons appeared to nudge his ball unintentionally on his 18th green chip shot. Who do I call?

Golf Channel's '13 US Open Sectional Qualifying Coverage

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It was a huge success last year with the epic shots of Dennis Miller's putt and Casey Martin's relieved look upon qualifying at the 2012 sectional qualifier. Martin is in again, as are hundreds of hopefuls trying to qualify for golf's most democratic tournament, the U.S. Open.

Golf Channel will be covering the Sectional qualifying in full force again.

For Immediate Release:

GOLF’S LONGEST DAY Follows Pursuit of U.S. Open Dreams
 
Golf Channel Covers U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying With 17 Consecutive Live Hours From 13 Sites Across the U.S.
 
News, Scores and Insight Offered Across Multiple Platforms; New Golf Channel Digital Studio Makes Debut
 
ORLANDO, Fla. (May 28, 2013) – On Monday, June 3, a team of more than 50 reporters and production professionals corresponding live from 13 locations around the United States for 17 consecutive hours – what Golf Channel has coined GOLF’S LONGEST DAY – will chronicle U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying, when nearly 1,000 amateur and professional golfers of all ages attempt to qualify for less than 70 spots available to compete in the U.S. Open Championship.
 
Starting at 7 a.m. ET and continuing until all the final results are tallied at around Midnight ET, Golf Channel will feature interviews, analysis, highlights and scoring updates from 11 U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying locations in the U.S., as well as insight from experts located at Merion Golf Club – site of next month’s U.S. Open – and Golf Channel studios in Orlando.
 
GOLF’S LONGEST DAY will be a colossal television and digital undertaking, originating across multiple platforms.  Television coverage will be hosted by Rich Lerner and Steve Sands from Golf Channel studios, while content produced from Golf Channel’s new digital studio will be hosted by Whit Watson and Ryan Burr.  For fans on the go, streaming content will be available via GolfChannel.com and the Golf Live Extra app, from 7 a.m. to Midnight ET.  The 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. coverage originating exclusively from the digital studio will be available to everyone online and on mobile devices.  Each platform will showcase stories of grit and determination by golfers trying to realize lifelong dreams, as well as those golfers trying to resurrect a career in order to make it back to golf’s brightest stage.
 
GolfChannel.com also will serve as a source for U.S. Open qualifying news and information, with feature stories written by correspondents in the field, scoring updates and posting social media content from Golf Channel reporters covering the Sectional events.  Fans also can join the social media conversation in Golf Channel's social lounge (www.GolfChannel.com/SocialLounge), and follow @GolfChannel on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag, #RoadToMerion.

GOLF’S LONGEST DAY U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying Locations and Correspondents:
 
Rockville, Md.                                    Woodmont Country Club                             Kay Cockerill
Cle Elum, Wash.                                Tumble Creek Golf Club                                Win McMurry
Springfield, Ohio                              Springfield Country Club                               Scott Rude
Bradenton, Fla.                                 Ritz-Carlton Members Golf Club                Matt Ginella
St. Louis, Mo.                                     Old Warson Country Club                             David Marr III
Dallas, Texas                                      Lakewood Country Club                                George Savaricas
Ball Ground, Ga.                               Hawks Ridge Golf Club                                   Steve Burkowski
Memphis, Tenn.                               Colonial Country Club                                     Scott Walker
Purchase, N.Y.                                   Century Country Club                                    Jerry Foltz
                                                                Old Oaks Country Club
Columbus, Ohio                                Brookside Golf & Country Club                  Todd Lewis
                                                                The Lakes Golf & Country Club
Newport Beach, Calif.                    Big Canyon Country Club                              Rex Hoggard
                                                                Newport Beach Country Club
Ardmore, Penn.                               Merion Golf Club                                Kelly Tilghman & Tim Rosaforte
Orlando, Fla.                                      Golf Channel Studios                             Rich Lerner & Steve Sands
 
Making his Golf Channel debut is new anchor/reporter George Savaricas, who comes to the network from KVOA-TV in Tucson, Ariz.
 
GOLF’S LONGEST DAY Programming Schedule (all times ET):
7 – 11 a.m.                          Morning Drive
10 a.m. – 1 p.m.                GOLF’S LONGEST DAY streaming from Digital Studio on GolfChannel.com and Golf Live Extra
11 a.m. – 1 p.m.                Golf Central Updates on Golf Channel
1 p.m. – Midnight            GOLF’S LONGEST DAY coverage on Golf Channel
7 a.m. – Midnight             GOLF’S LONGEST DAY streaming on GolfChannel.com and Golf Live Extra

The Mood For Merion, 6th Hole Flyover

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The 6th hole aerial flattens out some of the nice ground features on a hole that'll play 487 yards for the 2013 U.S. Open. With the reduced widths, the tee shot is a forced carry over rough and maybe not even a driver.

Looking back on an old magazine feature covering Bobby Jones' medal rounds here in the 1930 U.S. Amateur, the great Jones hit 2-iron in when the hole played at 442 yards.

Video: The Mood For Merion, 4th Hole Flyover

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Lengthened to 628 yards, Merion's 4th should be a true three-shotter unless Merion dries out in the days leading up to the 2013 U.S. Open. The fairway contour is much better looking here and fits this amazing hole pretty nicely considering the template of going so narrow to offset the improved diets of today's players.

The green and its distinctive pit bunkering has gone unchanged decades. This is also the last par-3 the players will see at par-70 Merion.

Video: The Mood For Merion, 3rd Hole Flyover

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After a pretty easy pair to start, Merion kicks into high gear with the difficult 256-yard par-3 third that will alternate as a 219-yarder. There's zero room for error but it's a beatiful hole that sits in the landscape quite nicely.

This should also be the first real bottleneck considering the third's difficulty and the reachable nature of the second hole.